Holster

ABSTRACT

This disclosure involves an open-front holster for revolvers including an inner liner and an outer facing which encase the barrel and cylinder portions of the revolver. The facing and liner portions extending along the sides of the barrel are joined together at their ends to enclose the tip of the muzzle. The facing and liner edges extending along each side of the barrel and chamber are separately jointed to retain the respective legs of a U-shaped spring, so that the base of the spring is adjacent to the tip of the revolver barrel and the ends of the spring legs are adjacent to the chamber, thereby forming a spring-supported slot along the length of the barrel and chamber through which by deflection of the spring the revolver may be drawn. When the holster is worn in a normal hip position, the revolver may be drawn out of the holster by grasping the exposed handle and moving the gun laterally straightforward out of the holster. A safety strap passes across the open end of the slot near the top of the holster to hold the gun from being unintentionally moved forward out of the holster. The inner liner has a pair of generally rectangular cutouts where the liner passes over the sides of the cylinder, thereby forming a recess wherein the cylinder portions extending from the gun frame are surrounded by the edges of the liner cutouts, preventing the revolver from being withdrawn from the holster by force or movement along the axis of the barrel.

United States Patent Primary Examiner -Gerald M. Forlenza Assistant Examiner-Jerold M. Forsberg AttorneyJohn E. Wagner ABSTRACT: This disclosure involves an open-front holster for revolvers including an inner liner and an outer facing which encase the barrel and cylinder portions of the revolver. The facing and liner portions extending along the sides of the barrel are joined together at their ends to enclose the tip of the muzzle. The facing and liner edges extending along each side of the barrel and chamber are separately jointed to retain the respective legs of a U-shaped spring, so that the base of the spring is adjacent to the tip of the revolver barrel and the ends of the spring legs are adjacent to the chamber, thereby forming a spring-supported slot along the length of the barrel and chamber through which by deflection of the spring the revolver may be drawn.

When the holster is worn in a normal hip position, the revolver may be drawn out of the holster by grasping the 'exposed handle and moving the gun laterally straightforward out of the holster. A safety strap passes across the open end of the slot near the top of the holster to hold the gun from being unintentionally moved forward out of the holster.

The inner liner has a pair of generally rectangular cutouts where the liner passes over the sides of the cylinder, thereby forming a recess wherein the cylinder portions extending from the gun frame are surrounded by the edges of the liner cutouts, preventing the revolver from being withdrawn from the holster by force or movement along the axis of the barrel.

Patented Dec. 28, 1971 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 2

FIG. 4

' INVENTOR.

JOHN E. BIANCHI Patented Dec. 28, 1971 Z-Sheets-Sheot 2 INVENTOR.

JOHN E. B IA'NCHI FIG. 8

HOLSTER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is well known that the speed with which a handgun may be drawn from a holster is critical to the effective use of a gun and to the safety of the user in an emergency situation. This is particularly so in law enforcement where a gun is normally not drawn unless an emergency situation is encountered. One condition under which it is very difficult for a law officer to draw a gun with any ease or speed is while sitting, which is the position occupied by most officers while on duty in a patrol car. If the most commonly used weapon, the standard police revolver, is carried in a conventional holster slung loosely from the belt in a sitting position, the gun barrel is parallel to the vehicle seat and the butt of the handle is against the back cushion of the seat where it is difficult or impossible to draw straight back out of the holster. If the officer chooses to wear his holster higher, so the gun barrel is pointing downwards, withdrawal of the service revolver from a conventional holster requires him to lean over sideways and pull the gun butt up nearly into his armpit to clear the holster with the tip of the I barrel. Neither of these methods is consistent with speed or safety.

An additional problem arises for an officer carrying an exposed gun near other persons. He is particularly vulnerable to losing control of the gun to someone behind him, and most conventional holsters are so constructed as to make it as easy for some behind the ofiicer to draw the gun as it is for the officer himself to draw it.

There have been a number of attempts to solve these problems in the past. There have been holsters providing a forward-draw capability, such as is taught by Tibbetts' U.S. Pat. No. 2,347,006; and there have been a number of holsters designed to preclude unauthorized drawing of the gun by another, such as is taught by Franz in US. Pat. No. 1,842,936, Audley in U.S. Pat. No. 996,694 and Clark in US. Pat. No. 3,420,420. However, all of the prior art devices have failed to provide a holster which'has a front draw capability for ease of use in a seated posture, combined with any degree of security against the gun being snatched from the wearers holster from behind. Most of the prior art locking devices are actually easier to operate for the person standing behind the wearer, since arm and hand mobility are somewhat better with the arm extended forward that with the arm wrist withdrawn upwards and back into the normal gun-drawing posture.

The object of this invention is to provide a revolver holster which will permit the gun to be drawn by the wearer quickly and easily under all conditions, including while seated. It is a further object of this invention to provide a gun holster which retains the gun in such a manner that the gun cannot under any circumstances be drawn upwards or backwards from the holster by a person standing behind the wearer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The objects of the invention are achieved by a revolver holster to be worn in the normal hip position and having a slot down the length of the front of the holster through which the gun may be drawn by grasping the handle and moving the gun laterally straightforward out of the holster. The slot is spring biased to a closed or nearly closed position, and is provided with a snap-released safety strap across the open end of the slot at the top edge of the holster to preclude inadvertent forward movement of the gun. The holster has an outer shell of flexible sheet material, such as leather, and an inner liner of similar material. The inner liner has a pair of apertures cut through it, so positioned over the portions of the revolver cylinder that extend outside the gun frame that the uppermost straight edge of each aperture projects inwardly over the end of each side of the cylinder, thereby serving as a positive latch which prevents the gun from being pulled upwards out of the holster.

In operation, the wearer of the holster may from either a standing or seated position draw the gun quickly and easily by grasping the exposed handle, flicking the safety strap snap fastener open, and moving the revolver straightforward out of the holster. A person standing behind the wearer can as easily unsnap the safety strap in an attempt to get possession of the gun, but he will be absolutely unable to remove the gun from the holster by pulling the gun upwards or backwards. He furthermore will be unable to discharge the gun while it is still in the holster because the trigger and trigger guard are completely enclosed by the holster. The only possible way to get the revolver out of the holster, even after the safety strap has been released, is to move the gun forward. This movement by a person behind the wearer would be unnatural and timeconsuming for the intruder and, if attempted, places the intruder in a very disadvantageous wristlock position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the holster, holding a revolver, viewed generally from the front.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the holster with a revolver in place.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the holster in use in a seated position; and showing the revolver partially withdrawn from the holster.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the holster in use by a standing wearer, and showing the attempt by an intruder to get control of the gun.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the holster with a revolver in place, taken vertically along section AA of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the holster, with a revolver in place, taken horizontally along section BB of FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a front elevation view of the biasing spring which urges the front slot of the holster closed.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the holster, showing the general shape and arrangement of the component parts.

Now refer to FIG. 1 in which the outside of the holster l0 and a revolver 11 are shown. An inner liner 12, of a flexible material such as leather, partially encloses the revolver by passing as a continuous member under the barrel, cylinder and trigger guard, leaving the revolver handle 13 and a narrow strip along the barrel l3 and chamber 14 exposed. The top edge 15 of liner 12 passes around the revolver above the chamber and cylinder of the gun, and the front edges 15 and 15a extend down the front of the holster adjacent to the length of the barrel and chamber. An outer facing 16, also of a flexible material, such as leather, partially encloses the revolver immediately outside liner 12 with its top edge 17 passing around the revolver above the chamber and cylinder of the gun, where it is joined to inner liner 12 by stitching 18, indicated by dashed lines on the drawing. The front edges 19 and 19a of facing 16 also extend down the front of the holster adjacent to the length of the barrel and chamber, and each side of facing 16 is joined to the respective side of liner [2 with stitching 24 and 24a, indicated by dashed lines on the drawing. The bottom edges of both sides of liner l2 and facing 16 are commonly joined together to form the tip 25 of the holster through stitching 26, indicated by a line of xs on the drawing, wherein the stitching 26 passes through all four thicknesses of the holster. A safety strap 27 is permanently affixed to one side near the top of the holster, passes around the front of the holster, and attaches with a snap fastener 28 on the outside surface of facing 16 near the trigger guard area of the gun. A tab 29 is provided as an extension of safety strap 27 so positioned as to be easily accessible for release by the user's forefinger when the handle of the gun is gripped. A generally U- shaped spring 30, a portion of which is visible where a part of facing 16 is cut away for illustration, passes down the length of the holster adjacent to the front opening and is retained between liner l2 and facing 16 by rows of stitching 24a and 31a.

Now refer to FIG. 2 in which the side elevation of the holster 10 and revolver 11 more clearly shows the closure of thetip 25 with stitches 26, and further shows a rounded portion of the upper rear corners of both sides of liner l2 and facing 16 commonly joined through stitching 32, indicated by a line of xs on the drawing wherein the stitching 32 passes through all four thicknesses of the holster around the trigger guard area of the revolver. This stitching brings the top edges of the holster close together and protects the trigger to preclude unintentional or unauthorized discharge of the weapon.

Now refer to FIG. 3 in which the wearer has the holster l suspended from a belt 40 in the normal right-hand hip position. The safety strap 27 has been unfastened and the wearer if shown drawing the revolver forward out of the front of the holster.

Now refer to FIG. 4 in which the wearer has the holster l0 suspended from a belt 40 in the normal right-hand hip position. An intruder. is shown pulling the revolver ll upwards and back in an unsuccessful attempt to remove it from the holster, even though the safety strap 27 has been unfastened.

Now refer to FIG. 5 in the cross-sectional view of holster showing a revolver 11 having a cylinder 45 projecting from .each side of the revolver frame 46 into apertures 47 and 47a on respective sides of liner l2, and abutting the inner surfaces of facing 16. The safety strap 27 is shown overlaying one side of facing 16, and an elongated extension 48 of the other side of facing 16 is shown folded downwards into a loop joined to the side of 16 through stitching 49. The bottom edges of liner 12 and the bottom edges of facing 16 are shown joined to form the tip of the holster by stitching 26. I

Now refer to FIG. 6, a cross-sectional view taken across section BB of FIG. 2, in which the two legs of the U-shaped biasing spring 30, partially shown in FIG. 1, are shown held between liner l2 and facing 16 by rows of stitching 24, 24a, 31 and 31a, thereby bringing the forward edges of the holster 10 close together around barrel 13 of the revolver.

Now refer to FIG. 7 in which the front elevation view of the biasing spring 30 is shown as an elongated U, with tips 55 and 56 bent slightly outward to avoid abrasion of the liner. The spring is shown in its use shape in the holster, and in free position the legs are actually crossed.

Now refer to FIG. 8 which show all of the components parts of the holster in exploded perspective, and in which the approximate location of the stitching patterns are shown on the separate parts and identified in a manner corresponding to their identification in the other views. The parts are formed as if they had been assembled into the holster, and then dissem: bled for this view. The U-shaped spring is shown oriented with the tips 55 and 56 facing upwards ready for assembly with liner l2 and facing 16 wherein the leg of spring 30 terminating in tip 55 will lie outside the formed recess 60 in liner l2 and inside the formed recess 61 in facing 16, to be secured by stitching patterns 24 and 31; and the leg of spring 30 terminated by tip 56 will lie outside the formed recess 60a in liner I2 and inside the formed recess 61a in facing 16, to be secured by stitching patterns 24a and 31a, the stitching patterns continuing downwards to join in enclosing the base of the spring. The apertures 47 and 47a are shown in liner 12, positioned to fall over the revolver cylinder in use. The liner l2 and facing 16 are further joined together at their respective top edges by stitching pattern 18, and both sides of the liner and facing are joined by stitching pattern 26 to close the tip of the holster and pattern 32 to cover the trigger and trigger guard. Facing extension 48 is folded down, passed through slot 68 and stitched inside facing 16 with pattern 49 to form a belt loop, and safety strap 27 is permanently attached to facing 16 by a post screw 63. The free end of strap 27 has a hole therethrough to receive the two parts 65 and 65a of a female snap fastener 28, as shown in FIG. 1, with tab 29 extending beyond the fastener. The mating male snap fastener is installed by joining part 66 and 660 through a hole 67 in facing 16.

When a revolver IS carried in the described holster, it is apparent that the gun is extremely secure. The spring biases the top of the holster snugly around the frame to protect the trigger and trigger guard and the liner snugly around the cylinder to preclude pulling the gun axially out of the holster. The gun cannot even be tipped back to clear the cylinder and then pulled back because of the restraint across the top of the trigger guard. The only possible way of getting the revolver out of the holster is to move the gun forward, which is done easily by the wearer, and with difficulty and jeopardy by a rear approaching intruder.

The above-described embodiments of this invention are merely descriptive of its principles and are not to be considered limiting. The scope of this invention instead shall be determined from the scope of the following claims, including their equivalents.

Iclaim:

l. A front opening holster comprising a body of flexible material such as leather or the like,

said body including a pair of sidewalls closed at the rear and bottom defining a revolver-holding recess,

said body being open at the top to allow the handle of a revolver held therein to be exposed, the sidewalls of said body defining an elongated front opening,

a U-shaped spring member secured to said body with the base of the U at the bottom of said front opening and the legs of said Ushaped spring member straddling said front opening on each side thereof to spring bias the edges of said body together throughout substantially the entire length of said front opening.

2. A holster in accordance with claim 1 wherein the base of said U-shaped spring is secured to said body at the lower extreme of the front opening thereof and the legs of said U- shaped spring extend upward in substantially parallel relation to define a substantially uniform width front opening having substantially uniform resistance to opening.

3. A holster in accordance with claim I including a liner within said body including a pair of recesses therein mating with the side protrusions of the cylinder of a revolver when positioned within said holster recess.

4. A holster in accordance with claim 3 wherein the upper edge of the recess in said liner constitute a ledge bearing against the top of the cylinder portion of a revolver in said holster.

5. The combination in accordance with claim 3 wherein said liner and body define a pocket therebetween for said U- shaped spring member.

6. The combination in accordance with claim 1 including strap means secured to one side of said body and extending around the front of said body to restrain the removal of the revolver in a forward direction,

said strap being positioned in line with the position of the forefinger of a hand engaging the handle of a revolver in said holster,

said strap being detachable from one side of said body by movement of the hand of the user in removing a revolver through said front opening. 

1. A front opening holster comprising a body of flexible material such as leather or the like, said body including a pair of sidewalls closed at the rear and bottom defining a revolver-holding recess, said body being open at the top to allow the handle of a revolver held therein to be exposed, the sidewalls of said body defining an elongated front opening, a U-shaped spring member secured to said body with the base of the U at the bottom of said front opening and the legs of said U-shaped spring member straddling said front opening on each side thereof to spring bias the edges of said body together throughout substantially the entire length of said front opening.
 2. A holster in accordance with claim 1 wherein the base of said U-shaped spring is secured to said body at the lower extreme of the front opening thereof and the legs of said U-shaped spring extend upward in substantially parallel relation to define a substantially uniform width front opening having substantially uniform resistance to opening.
 3. A holster in accordance with claim 1 including a liner within said body including a pair of recesses therein mating with the side protrusions of the cylinder of a revolver when positioned within said holster recess.
 4. A holster in accordance with claim 3 wherein the upper edge of the recess in said liner constitute a ledge bearing against the top of the cylinder portion of a revolver in said holster.
 5. The combination in accordance with claim 3 wherein said liner and body define a pocket therebetween for said U-shaped spring member.
 6. The combination in accordance with claim 1 including strap means secured to one side of said body and extending around the front of said body to restrain the removal of the revolver in a forward direction, said strap being positioned in line with the position of the forefinger of a hand engaging the handle of a revolver in said holster, said strap being detachable from one side of said body by movement of the hand of the user in removing a revolver through said front opening. 